The Final Bow

For the performance community, “ends of eras” are a dime a dozen. It is the nature of the beast: for every glamorous opening night with a packed audience full of our most loyal stage devotees, there is always a curtain call; a moment when the costumes are hung on the rack, the props are stored, and lights come down one last time.

And yet, along with every ending is an innate optimism that there will always be a “next time.” Even as productions and casts and management change, we know in our heart of hearts there will always be new opportunities ahead to take the stage once more. Sure, we allow our tears to fall and distribute hugs and grandiose words about how “this is the best group of people we have ever worked with,” and generally make a big deal about how much that show will always sit in our hearts, but then we are off to the next casting call, chasing that next high that can only come from hitting center stage to thunderous applause.

However, sometimes we are faced with a true end of an era.

Since 1988, the stage at Club One has provided a safe haven to the performing arts community in Savannah. Hundreds of theatre, drag, cabaret, comedy, and burlesque performers have walked out onto that iconic catwalk and commanded the attention of their audience. It is a space built for and by the community, where anyone can come in knowing that they are in a safe space that enforces inclusion, acceptance, and positivity no matter their backgrounds or orientations. 

On April 27th, after nearly 40 years in their current location, Club One will be closing their doors to move to a new space.  It’s just across the street, but an ending is an ending, still.

In celebration of this iconic space, and in anticipation of new beginnings, the Savannah Performance Alliance is hosting “Curtain Call: A Tribute to the Club One Stage.” The production is a love letter to all of the performances that have happened in the building, and as such, will be a cacophony of unforgettable drag numbers, burlesque, variety acts, and full-scale musical extravaganzas. Troupes included in the lineup are: the Club One Cabaret, the Bay Street Theatre, the Savannah Cabaret, the Bay Street Bombshells, Tied & Tasseled Fetish Cabaret, the The Assembly of Phantasms, and more. Of course, the event would not be complete without also paying tribute to the lady who made the stage famous in the first place: The Lady Chablis. 

Though the end of this era is bittersweet, this show is going to be a celebration of Savannah’s talent, and a promise that the Club One stage will come back swinging with more capacity to host the arts in Savannah than ever before. Be prepared to laugh, cry, sing along, and send out this beautiful space with a bang.

“Curtain Call: A Tribute to the Club One Stage” will take place Saturday, April 18 at 3:00, with a pre-show party starting at 2:00. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Savannah Performance Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the performing arts in Savannah and the Low Country.